Ehud the Benjamite vs King Eglon of Moab

After reading a scholarly paper showing the lexical accuracy of the Hebrew, and the archaeological discoveries of the site for the period, I rewrote Judges 3:12-25. It’s now a little more graphic and maybe a little more humorous. Definitely more accurate. If you don’t have the latest Son Of Man Bible (May 29, 2026 or later) installed in e-Sword, MySword, The Word, Bible Analyzer, or LOGOS Bible programs, opening the PDF version of the latest Son Of Man Bible may be the quickest way to read Judges 3:12-30. You can read it online at: https://www.fmcmi.org/resources Just scroll down, the hot-linked Table of Contents is on page 8. Tap or click on Judges and page over to Chapter 3:12-30 for a smile, a chuckle, a belly laugh, or just a good read.

Judges 3:12-30 “After that, the Israelis again did what was evil in the sight of Yehowah, and Yehowah gave strength to Eglon king of Moab to overpower the Israelis. 13 Eglon joined with the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and they went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms (Jericho). 14 The people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years (c. 1504 BC). 15 When the people of Israel called out to Yehowah, Yehowah raised up someone who would help them, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent him, with their tribute payment, to Eglon king of Moab (c. 1486 BC). 16 Ehud made himself a sword that had two edges, one-half meter in length; he strapped it on under his clothing on his right thigh. 17 He gave the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon was an excessively fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute payment, he left with those who had carried it in. 19 As for Ehud himself, however, when he reached the place where the carved images were made near Gilgal, he turned and went back, and he announced, “I have a secret message for you, my king.” Eglon shouted, “Silence!” So all those serving him left the royal toilet. 20 Ehud came to him. The king was sitting by himself, alone in the coolness of the royal toilet. Ehud said, “I have a message from the Almighty for you.” The king rose up off of his toilet seat. 21 Ehud reached with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and he stabbed it into the king’s body. 22 The hilt of the sword also went into him following the blade. The tip of the sword came out of his back and the fat closed over it, for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly, and his feces came out. 23 Then Ehud went toward the porch, closed the doors of the royal toilet, and locked himself inside. 24 After Ehud had gone down the stairway and out through the cesspit, the king’s servants came; they saw that the doors of the royal toilet were locked, so they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the coolness of the royal toilet.” 25 They were growing more concerned, until they felt they were neglecting their duty, when the king still did not open the doors to the royal toilet. So they took the key and opened them, and there lay their master, fallen to the floor, dead. 26 While the servants were waiting, wondering what they should do, Ehud escaped and passed beyond the place where there were carved images of idols, and so he escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hills, and he was leading them. 28 He said to them, “Follow me, for Yehowah is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites.” They followed him, and they captured the fords of the Jordan River across from the Moabites, and they did not allow anyone to cross the river. 29 At that time, they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, and all were strong and capable men. Not one escaped. 30 So that day Moab was subdued by the strength of Israel, and the land had rest for eighty years (c. 1407 BC).”

Sometimes, it ain’t over until the fat king dies.